Surf Life Saving NSW Life Members – Queenscliff SLSC’s Barry Antella OAM and Bondi SBLSC’s Peter Burst have had many decades of distinguished and conspicuous service recognised by Surf Life Saving Australia with Life Membership of the national organisation.
Barry first gained his Bronze Medallion with his Sydney Northern Beaches club in 1994, however his volunteerism through the surf club began many decades earlier. In the 70s, Barry would donate, repair and maintain gear at Queenscliff – a role he still holds, and has expanded over time.
At a State and National level, he is a regular at major surf sports carnivals where Barry’s leadership and knowledge come to the fore, ensuring equipment is in good condition and on the beach ready for the carnival. He is a crucial cog in the machine for large events.
Once a week, Barry and a group of Dad’s Army retirees can be found at SLSNSW HQ in Belrose, working on gear and streamlining processes for carnivals to make accessing the right equipment easier. Often, this job requires Barry to be on hand many more days during the week as he offers his expertise to various departments for repairs and maintenance.
At a lifesaving level, Barry has previously held roles including Club Captain and Vice President, and he was critical to the development of consistent marking guidelines for the Champion Lifesaver events at surf sports carnivals – the truest test of an all-round lifesaving skillset.
As part of the newly renovated Queenscliff surf club, completed in the early 2020s, the Barry Antella Room is duly named after a stalwart of the club as a place for members to recreate and make the most of the lifesaving community at the club.
Peter, meanwhile, is a veteran of more than four decades of Surf Life Saving, having first gained his Bronze Medallion in 1979.
Since then, his awards and achievements list reads like an essay – he has held many hats across multiple clubs, being North Bondi SLSC, Towradgi SLSC and Bondi, and was particularly fond of the rubber duck.
He chased his passion across both Bondi and Towradgi surf clubs. In fact, at Towradgi in the Illawarra, Peter was part of the Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) racing team that won Branch, State and Australian titles in the late 90s and early 00s. This progressed into Powercraft coordination in his later years, which he completed at various levels of Surf Life Saving.
Most importantly, though, was Peter’s desire to pass on his passion to whomever he could. Anyone who knows Peter would say that he is proud to educate and upskill those around him, and this manifested itself in his various advisory roles at Branch and State level.
He is highly regarded in the surf sports space and maintains a reputation as a subject matter expert in IRBs and a revered contributor to the Surf Life Saving movement.
Barry Antella OAM becomes SLSA Life Member #317, while Peter Burst becomes SLSA Life Member #318.
Thursday 5 March 2026